Die-cast toy cars are a beloved connection with the 1960s and '70s--a golden era for cars, real and miniature.

Die-Cast Toy Cars

Die-Cast Toy Cars

They're the only vehicles known to survive countless wrecks a day, never need gas, and go up in value after leaving the lot. But that's not why kids and collectors love toy cars. "They were more than just toys," says Mac Ragan, author of five books on die-cast cars and brand manager of toy car manufacturer RC2 Corp., maker of the Johnny Lightning brand of die-cast cars. "They were finely designed replicas of the real cars and trucks that kids saw on the road every day," adds Ragan, whose cars are pictured here.

Impy VW Microbus

Impy VW Microbus

The 1960s to early 1970s were a definitive age for what collectors call die-cast 1/64th-scale replicas. By no coincidence, this was a golden age for real cars as well, when even the cheapest models radiated personality. In the early 1960s, Matchbox in Britain captured these elegant machines in two and a half inches of metal with realism unseen on toy shelves up to that time. Among other innovations, the company switched the tires from bare metal to gray and black plastic; made doors, hoods, and trunks that opened; and installed transparent plastic windows instead of none at all.

Pictured: Moving parts and suspension made their way into replicas such as this Impy VW Microbus.